Cosplayer Jerikandra on working with latex

Jerikandra and Abi Sue at Lilac City Comicon 2017

On Sunday June 4, 2017, Cosplayers Jerikandra and Abi Sue talked to Lilac City Comicon attendees about working with different materials for costumes. They covered latex, spandex and the use of resin and worbla in cosplay.

Jerikandra says that latex is kind of weird. She suggests cutting latex with a rotary cutter rather than scissors because you want to “get as smooth a cut as you can.” Scissors can leave latex jagged.

Rather than sewing the seams, you will want to glue them. Clean the latex with a rubber cement cleaner first. Apply rubber cement to both sides and when it is dry, stick the sides together. You can press the seam with a credit card to get it to be smooth. The rubber cement will cause the latex to roll up on itself. Don’t mess with it too much, it will lay down in about 10 minutes. Smaller pieces may curl in on themselves. You will want to attach them to a base layer of something easily removable to keep this from happening.

You will need to reinforced leg holes and sleeves around the edges of the latex. Reinforcements can be kept from curling in on themselves if you put painters tape on the opposite side from the glue side.

When using a pattern to cut your latex, you can use painter’s tape to attach it to the latex. Roll the tape so that it is double sided. Trace the pattern onto the latex or cut it out directly. Be sure to use a cutting mat. Remember, there is no seam allowance when sewing latex. Some metals may stain latex when used as snaps or fasteners.

“When wearing latex, it sticks to your skin,” Jerikandra says. That can be a problem.

Latex is tight fitting. You need some sort of lubricant to put latex on; talc, corn starch or a silicon lube can work well. The silicon lube can be applied to the outside of the latex as well as the inside; it will help the fabric look shiny. Chlorinated fabrics may be easier to wear, but they can’t be worked on after they are chlorinated. Latex will trap sweat.

Latex can be stored in plastic bags for travel and should be hung up at home. Latex may stick to itself, so if you store several suits together, for too long, you may have to find a way to detach them without tearing the fabric. Latex can be washed with a basic soap, inside and outside and left hanging to air dry. Jerikandra really likes Yummy Gummy as a place to get latex.